The document discusses several incidents of mass shootings and killings committed by individuals in different parts of the world. It then discusses debates around blaming influences like movies, video games, or other external factors for these acts of violence. However, the document argues that the real root cause of evil and human troubles is internal - it is human sinful nature. Only through accepting Jesus Christ can people truly be set free from this sinful nature and its consequences.
2. A dark knight rises
James Eagan Holmes
(born December
13, 1987) is the
suspected perpetrator
of a mass shooting
that occurred on July
20, 2012, at a movie
theater in
Aurora, Colorado.
3. The dark knight rises
Christopher Nolan directed “The Dark
Knight Rises” was having its first
screenings.
A similar shooting scene was portrayed
in the movie.
12 people are dead as a result and more
than fifty people are injured.
4. A more recent one
Recently, (05.08.12)
Wade Michael Page, a
former US army
veteran killed six
Sikhs in Oak Creek
Gurudwara,
Wisconsin.
5. A country full of dark knights
The United States of America is a
country where lethal weapons are
available so easily.
No political leader is willing to tighten
the laws regarding gun procurement.
(America’s gun psychosis, The Hindu
dated 07.08.12)
6. A country full of dark knights
So many persons in the USA have the
unfortunate predilection of wielding them.
Wikipedia list:- “List of serial killers by
country”
Argentina – two
Belarus – one
Germany – 17
But USA?? – A separate page full
7. Movie inspired villains?
Recently, in Tamil Nadu, a student
stabbed his school teacher multiple
times thereby killing her.
When questioned, he told that watching
a particular scene in “Agneepath” drove
him to despair.
8. Movie inspired villains?
After the screening of “Ek Duuje Ke
Liye”, few decades ago, many desperate
lovers flung themselves from the top of
mountain cliffs in mother India.
9. Can we blame movies?
Few people like James indeed look at the
movies as a how-to-manual to fix their
problematic existence.
Hence, it is easier to blame a movie than
try to address the complex calculations
that result in an individual’s descent
into momentary madness.
10. Can we blame movies?
Many write about films as a cause – if not
the cause – for social rot.
For them, cinema is an assiduous weevil
gnawing away at the roots of our modern
day lives.
11. What about good movies?
There were lots of good movies
portraying about national leaders like ,
Ambedkar, Gandhiji, Kamaraj and EVRa
Periyar.
There was no news item indicating that
so many people were changed in their
behaviour after watching these fantastic
movies.
12. What about good movies?
There is no such news items since
nobody basically changes after watching
those movies.
Then how can we blame the bad
behaviour alone as a result of watching
bad movies?
13. Whom to blame?
If cinema cannot be found to encourage
positive behaviours, then why should we
blame films for depicting negative
attitudes?
- Baradwaj Rangan
- The Hindu dated 24.07.12
14. Anders Behring Breivik
Anders Behring
Breivik (born
13 February 1979) is a
Norwegian accused
mass
murderer,terrorist
and the confessed
perpetrator of the 2011
attacks in Norway.
15. Anders Behring Breivik
On 22 July 2011, Breivik bombed the
government buildings in Oslo, which
resulted in eight deaths.
He then carried out a mass shooting at a
camp of the Workers' Youth League
(AUF) of the Labour Party on the island
of Utøya where he killed 69 people,
mostly teenagers.
16. Prepared by video games
He used to play video games such as Call
of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and World of
Warcraft to relax and for "training-
simulation”.
He further told a court in April 2012 that
he trained for shooting using a
holographic device while playing Call of
Duty.
17. Prepared by video games
He surfed the web full time for several
years including daily training on the
shooting games.
He claimed it helped him gain target
acquisition.
18. Can we blame video games?
Andrew Keen, an expert at Breivik’s trial
told that his virtual and real worlds
became indistinguishable.
The US Supreme Court acknowledged in
June 2011 that violent online video
games are a social problem.
19. Can we blame video games?
In the month of May 2012, a high ranking
British legislator suggested increased
controls over some gaming content as it
was done in China and South Korea.
But there are quite lot of good video
games too. What about them???
20. What is the mirror behind the
screen?
What is the real cause of trouble?
What does the mirror behind the screen
tells us?
What is the image we are seeing at the
back of each social evil?
23. God gave a simple
command.
Don’t eat a
particular fruit in
the middle of
garden of Eden.
24. The serpent went
to Eve and
mesmerized her
with the so called
good qualities of
the forbidden
fruit.
25. The fruit
appeared good
and tasty. So she
plucked it, ate
some and
lovingly gave it to
Adam. Adam ate
the forbidden
fruit.
26. Why? Why? Why?
Therefore, as
through one man sin
entered the
world, and
and thus death
spread to all
men, because all
sinned.
Romans 5:12
death through sin,
27. Sinful right from Birth
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother
conceived me.
Psalms 51:5
28. Slave@sin.com
19 For I do not do the good I want to
do, but the evil I do not want to do—this
I keep on doing.
22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s
law;
Romans 7:19,22
29. Slave@sin.com
23 but I see another law at work in me,
waging war against the law of my mind
and making me a prisoner of the law of
sin at work within me.
Romans 7:23
31. Can we purify ourselves?
Most of the time, we try to purify
ourselves by running here and there.
We try to become cleansed by doing
good things.
32. Can we purify ourselves?
Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure;
I am clean and without sin”?
Proverbs 20:9
33. It is not possible
Can a person change the colour of his
skin (emphasis added)
or a leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good
who are accustomed to doing evil.
Jeremiah 13:23
34. Only God can cleanse us
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
Psalms 51:1,2
35. Christ Jesus sets us free
Therefore, there is now no
condemnation for those who are in
Christ Jesus,
2 because through Christ Jesus the law of
the Spirit who gives life has set you free
from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1,2
36. God can indeed set us free
Sin is the real cause of all troubles.
It may or may not be aggravated by
seeing a particular movie or playing a
video games.
But, the real trouble, the root of all evil
is inside each one of us.
37. God can indeed set us free
We may or may not be slaves to movies
and games but are slaves to sin.
The good news this morning is God can
indeed set us free from this body of
death.
God gave his only begotten Son Jesus
Christ for destroying the work of this
sinful nature.
38. Do we have the freedom?
We have to examine ourselves this
morning.
Do we really enjoy this freedom which
comes free of cost to all human beings?
If not, let us turn back to God and
receive this greatest blessing which
comes through Jesus Christ.
39. Blessed is he/she
Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one
whose sin the LORD does not count
against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
Psalm 32:1,2
